Sewage came up through the tub: what cleanup involves and whether you can stay

Straight answer: what happens and whether to stay

Sewage cleanup means stopping the source, removing the contaminated water, throwing out porous materials it touched, cleaning and disinfecting everything that can be saved, drying the structure and then rebuilding what was removed. Whether you can stay depends on how much of the house is affected: many families stay when the backup is limited to one bathroom or one area that can be closed off, while a backup that spread across living areas, or a household with young children, older adults or anyone with a weakened immune system, is a good reason to stay somewhere else until the cleanup is done.

We are SERVPRO of Park Cities. Juan and I own the company, and sewage and biohazard cleanup is one of the services our crews handle around the clock. This guide explains what is happening, what you can safely do before help arrives, and what a professional cleanup looks like from start to finish.

Why sewage is handled differently from a clean leak

Water from a burst supply line starts out clean. Sewage does not. It carries bacteria, viruses and other contaminants from the moment it leaves the drain, and anything porous it soaks into carries them too. The CDC warns that water containing sewage can cause diarrheal illness and recommends rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles whenever sewage is involved. The restoration industry treats sewage as the most contaminated category of water for that reason.

That changes the whole approach. With clean water, a lot can be dried in place. With sewage, the priority is removal and disinfection first, and many materials that could have been saved after a clean leak have to be thrown away. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's homeowner guide on moisture and mold also recommends calling in a professional experienced with that kind of damage when water is contaminated with sewage.

Why the drains backed up in the first place

Sewage comes up through the lowest drains in the house, which is why tubs, showers and floor drains are where people first see it. The cause is almost always a blockage or failure somewhere in the line between the house and the city main. Common culprits include tree roots growing into an older pipe, grease and wipes building up over time, a collapsed or bellied section of sewer line, or heavy rain overwhelming the system.

Older homes with original cast iron or clay sewer lines are especially prone to repeat backups. A plumber needs to clear and inspect the line, often with a camera, before cleanup can finish, or the next shower will bring it back. If your house has had more than one backup, this guide from a plumber on what a failing cast iron sewer line means explains what is likely going on under the yard.

In a condo, townhome or apartment building, the backup may come from a shared line rather than your own. In that case, tell the property manager or association right away, because the blockage may affect other units and the repair of the shared line is usually their responsibility to arrange.

The first hour, before anyone arrives

Stop adding water. Ask everyone in the house to stop flushing, showering, running the dishwasher and doing laundry, because every gallon you send down the drain may come back up. If there is water near outlets or appliances, turn off the power to that area at the breaker, but only if you can reach the panel without walking through the water.

Keep people and pets out of the affected area. The CDC advises keeping children and pets away from areas affected by sewage or floodwater until cleanup has been completed, and avoiding contact if you have an open wound. Close the door to the room if you can. Do not run fans in the contaminated area, since that can spread contaminants through the house, and turn off the HVAC if the backup is near a return vent.

Then document and call. Take photos and video of the water, the drain it came from and anything it reached. Call a plumber to clear the line and a restoration company to handle the cleanup, and let your insurance company know the same day.

• Stop all water use in the house
• Cut power to the area only if you can do it safely
• Keep children, pets and anyone with a wound away
• Close the room off and turn off nearby HVAC returns
• Photograph everything before anything is moved
• Call a plumber, a restoration company and your insurer

Should you clean it yourself?

A few tablespoons of backup in a tub that you can rinse and disinfect, with nothing else affected, is something many homeowners handle themselves with gloves, eye protection and a good detergent. Anything beyond that is a different job. Once sewage reaches carpet, baseboards, drywall, cabinets or a subfloor, it has soaked into materials that need to be removed and disposed of properly, and the structure underneath needs to be cleaned, disinfected and dried.

Bleach and a shop vacuum will not reach what has soaked into a wall or under vinyl plank. And because you are working with contaminated material, the protective equipment, the disposal and the risk of spreading it through the house all matter. If you are unsure, call and describe what you see. We would rather tell you it is a small job than have you spread it.

What our crew does, start to finish

Our technicians arrive with protective equipment and set up containment if the affected area needs to be separated from the rest of the house. We inspect and measure to see how far the contaminated water traveled, including under flooring and into walls, and we photograph everything for your claim before removal begins.

Next comes extraction of the standing water and removal of materials that cannot be cleaned. The CDC's cleanup guidance says to throw away anything that cannot be cleaned or dried quickly, and to remove and discard drywall and insulation that has been contaminated with sewage or floodwater. In practice that usually means carpet and pad, the lower section of affected drywall and insulation, and porous items such as upholstered furniture, bedding and paper goods that were soaked.

Then we clean and disinfect the hard surfaces that remain, such as framing, concrete, tile and fixtures, and set drying equipment. We return to take moisture readings until the structure is dry. Finally, our reconstruction team replaces the drywall, baseboards, flooring and anything else that had to come out.

Belongings that sat in the same room but never touched the water are handled separately. Hard items can usually be cleaned and disinfected, and we sort contents with you so nothing is thrown away without a reason and a photo for your adjuster.

• Protective equipment and containment where needed
• Inspection, moisture mapping and photo documentation
• Extraction and removal of contaminated porous materials
• Cleaning and disinfection of everything that stays
• Drying with monitoring until the readings say dry
• Reconstruction of what was removed

Deciding whether your family stays home

In our experience, families often stay when the backup is limited to one bathroom or one part of the house that can be closed off, there is another working bathroom, and the plumber has cleared the line. The contaminated area is off limits while we work, and the drying equipment is noisy, but the rest of the house is usable.

A short move is usually the better choice when sewage reached the kitchen, bedrooms or main living areas, when the only bathroom is out of service, or when someone in the home is very young, elderly, pregnant or has a weakened immune system. If you have health concerns, ask your doctor. If the loss is covered, your homeowners policy may help with temporary living costs, so ask your adjuster about it early.

Whatever you decide, keep the affected room closed while work is underway. The CDC advises washing all clothes worn during cleanup in hot water and detergent, separately from other laundry, and washing hands well after any contact with contaminated items.

Insurance and sewage backups

Coverage for sewer and drain backups varies a great deal from one policy to the next. Some policies include it, some offer it only as an added endorsement, and some exclude it, so read your policy or call your agent before assuming either way. The Texas Department of Insurance also reminds homeowners that standard home policies do not cover flood, so sewage that entered the house because of outside flooding may be treated differently from a blocked line.

Whatever your coverage, document the loss, keep receipts and do not throw away damaged items until your adjuster says it is fine. We document the damage and provide information about our work to support the claim. For more on how claims work in Texas, read how Texas homeowners policies treat water damage.

Calling us for a sewage backup

Our crews answer sewage and biohazard calls around the clock, including weekends and holidays, for homes and businesses in Dallas, Highland Park and University Park. When you call, we ask where the backup came from, how far it spread, whether the line has been cleared and who is in the house, so the crew arrives with the right equipment and a plan.

If the backup turned up hidden moisture or mold in an area that had been wet before, we address that as part of the same job, as I explain in when mold can be cleaned yourself and when it should not. And if this was a clean-water leak rather than sewage, my guide to standing water and the first 48 hours is the better place to start. Either way, one team cleans, dries and rebuilds.

Questions people ask me